


Recovery

by SpookyEvie



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Real Person Fiction, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Denial, Grief/Mourning, Tf is a beta read, Tommy tries to bring Wilbur back to life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:15:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27661202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyEvie/pseuds/SpookyEvie
Summary: Tommy wondered again who had planned the funeral and decided to have it in the heart of L’manburg. Wilbur would have liked it. Tommy certainly didn’t. It reminded him of when trees surrounded the area, and the world looked full of potential.It had been three days since the war. Three days since Wilbur's death. Three days since he had gotten his country back, even if it was merely a crater.OrTommy is determined to bring Wilbur back, even if it meant having to remember him, including the parts he would rather forget. Maybe with the help of some old friends, he would remember forgotten parts of himself too.
Relationships: Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55





	1. My L’manburg

“Though Wilbur had his flaws, he was a man who always stood for what he believed in, and for that he has my respect.”

Tommy looked up to the sky, impatiently tapping his hand on his knee. The day of the funeral had finally come, and now he sat begrudgingly listening to Dream ramble on about ‘respect’ and ‘casting their disagreements aside’ as if he wasn’t one of the reasons Wilbur was dead. 

As Dream continued his lackluster speech, he looked around the simple but meaningful funeral set up. The seats, which sat two on each side of the aisle were made of spruce, and L’manburg banners were hung on posts surrounding the area. Even a carpet sporting L’manburg colors was lining the aisle that led to Wilburs casket. One of Tubbo’s new cabinet members was probably responsible.

Tommy only felt a little guilty that he didn’t know which one. Admittedly, he really didn’t even know who Tubbo had chosen for his cabinet, let alone who had taken on the monstrous task of planning Wilbur Soot’s funeral. That was something he had to tell himself was ok he wasn’t a part of. None of them seemed to care anyway, he had warned them after all. Unfinished business and such. Certainly nothing that had anything to do with the closest thing he had ever had to a parental figure dying before his eyes after slowly going insane. Nothing at all.

He still couldn’t help feeling like a bit of a failure as the Vice President of his recovering country. He hadn’t been around at all, and was still adjusting to the repairs since the war. He kept looking around expecting to see the charred bloody landscape that he had seen that night. Instead there were now platforms built above the craters of the explosions, and all the burning wreckage had been torn down and replaced by new, clean looking structures. It had a long way to go, but it still looked better than it had since…. well ever. 

The biggest change was the van. It stood right behind the burial plot they were all sitting behind now. While in reality it was more of a small change, it was the biggest change to Tommy, because it looked like it did before. When Wilbur was here, and when he was himself. He wondered again who had planned this funeral and decided to have it in the heart of L’manburg. Wilbur would have liked it.

Tommy certainly didn’t. It reminded him of when trees surrounded the area, and the world looked full of potential.

It had been three days since the war. Three days since Wilbur's death. Three days since he had gotten his country back, even if it was merely a crater. 

Tubbo elbowed him suddenly, bringing him back to the real world. Tubbo gave him a look that seemed to mean ‘pay attention’ _.  _ Tommy just glared at him before sitting up a little straighter. He’d been all “presidenty” lately, and Tommy didn’t like it.

He noticed Dream leave the podium and return to his seat, reminding Tommy that there were too many people at this funeral. Too many people who didn’t really care, too many people who didn’t give a damn about Wilbur when he was alive, too many who would have killed him themselves had they had the chance. At least Techno had the class to stay home. 

Tubbo stood up, and went up to the podium that stood next to Wilbur’s casket. “Thank you Dream, that was lovely.” Tubbo looked down at a piece of paper, and Tommy rolled his eyes. “Umm, Niki, I think you wanted to say a few words?”

“Yes,” Niki got up from where she was sitting in the row across from Tommy. She blinked away tears rapidly as she walked, and occasionally her hand would fly to her face to dry her eyes. Tubbo returned to the seat next to Tommy, and Niki took her place at the podium.

She looked to Wilbur’s coffin forlornly. “Wilbur was my friend.” She blinked a few more times. “I wanted to sing something, in his honor.” She turned back to her audience. Then she started to sing. 

“I heard there was a special place,” Tommy froze.

“Where men could go and emancipate,” Niki's voice was soft.

“The brutality and the tyranny of their rulers,” Tommy put his head in his hands, forced to remember the last time Wilbur had sung this song to him. 

“But this place is real you needn’t fret,” He remembered feeling like he had lost everything. Yet he would give anything to go back.

“With Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, fuck Eret,” Niki’s voice was soft. He could almost swear he heard Wilbur singing along with her.

“It’s a very big and not blown up L’manburg,” He could almost see the walls being torn down, he could almost smell the smoke of the flag burning.

“My L’manburg, My L’manburg,” God, he was really gone, wasn’t he?

“My L’manburg,”

_ Tommy sing with me-  _

_“_ My L’manburg.” That was the last he had seen of those walls, of that flag, of that Wilbur.

“Thank you.” Niki nodded, dabbing tears from her eyes as everyone began to clap.

Tommy didn’t clap. He didn’t sniffle, or solute. Instead he did something weird. He laughed. He laughed loudly too, a humorless laugh that immediately turned all heads to him.

He felt Tubbo’s hand on his shoulder. “Tommy, are you ok?” 

Tommy just laughed again. “Am i ok,” he mocked. Tubbo looked at him uncertainly.

“Tommy, seriously, is everything alright?” Quackity said from the row behind them. “Why the fuck are you laughing?” 

Tommy scoffed. “Oh fuck you, fuck all of you!” There was Big Q acting all serious and shit when he had absolutely no right to. 

Tubbo grabbed his hand. “Tommy-” 

“Let go of me.” Tubbo let go, his face a mix of worry and confusion. “You know what,  _ I’m _ going to say a few words.” He stood up, facing the small crowd of enemies and allies alike. “None of you motherfuckers mean a word you’re saying!” 

Niki looked at him from her place at the podium. “Tommy, we do!”

Tommy whirled around to face Niki. “NO! And do you know why? Because while half of you are just lying bastards who celebrated Wilburs downfall, the others aren’t any better. Wilbur wasn’t this great guy you all say he was, HE WAS A TRAITOR. He was a crazy old man who never really cared about anyone.” Tommy’s voice started to tremble. “Hell, he didn’t even care enough to stick around for any of us! Surely you know that better than I do Niki!”

Tears flowed down Niki’s face, and she shook her head. She looked like she wanted to say something, but instead she backed away from the podium and returned to her seat. 

Tommy turned back to the rest of funeral attendees, who were all staring at him. He saw Sapnap, who’s amused face made his blood boil, and Awesamdude, whose look of pure pity was somehow even worse. The rest were somewhere in between.

“Tommy, maybe you should go.” Tommy turned to Tubbo, who was avoiding eye contact. All president like and shit. 

“Fine. I will.” Tommy wasted no time leaving the funeral as fast as he could. He shook away his tears, ignoring them. He pushed away the images of Nikis heartbroken eyes, or Tubbo’s embarrassed expression. He didn’t even say goodbye to Wilbur. 

_ It doesn’t matter. _ He thought, entering his home and climbing down the ladder to one of the lower levels. 

_ Wilbur won’t be dead for long. _

He opened the book, turning to the page he had read an uncountable amount of times.

_ Reviving your fallen brethren.  _

_ Step 1: Remember. _


	2. catching up

Tommy sighed, chucking his unneeded items into one of the many chests in his storage room. The organization system he had planned to keep had lasted all of a week, and items now lay scattered in inconvenient spots that he knew he would never bother looking through ever again.

He sat down on the floor and looked at the list of items he had made, and slowly checked five off of the list. Of the ten he had wanted to get, he wasn’t particularly pleased with that number. Especially with all of the bases he had gone out of his way to loot, he had just expected more. 

He was going to have to get the rest of the things himself.

He let out an even bigger sigh before looking at the strange book he was doing this all for. The cover was a dark burgundy with a strange black cursive title, and the pages were yellowed and torn from age. He’d found it in a box of Wilbur’s old stuff in L’manburg, most likely left behind before the election. 

Wilbur had always had a strange habit of collecting books, and the box he’d looked through had been proof. Tommy was just lucky that this book was the book he’d chosen to pick up and flip through. He’d like to think it was fate. Or maybe it wasn’t, since the book was titled Resurrection. 

After reading the title he had wondered aloud where it came from, and Quackity seemed to think that Wilbur had just been stealing books wherever he could, so basically, anywhere. 

Despite not knowing anything about it, Tommy thought it wouldn’t hurt to at least try the instructions in the book. Though having to get the stuff on his own was quite a demotivator, the thought of having Wilbur back, the real Wilbur, made him want to try.

The biggest problem was Tommy knew he couldn’t ask anyone to help him. Most of his friends were a part of the L’manburg government which Wilbur was a literal terrorist to, and the rest were against said government. All of them were happy with Wilbur being dead.

The book taunted him from its position on the floor. After the funeral he’d decided to skip the ominous step one, which just read _Remember_ with a suspicious potion recipe underneath it. Step two made much more sense. It was the recipe for an oddly made splash potion that would supposedly be used in step three, which was the final step . 

He looked back to his list of ingredients he had hastily written last night. 

POTION INGRIDIANTS

Rabbit foot CHECK

Poppy CHECK

Lily pad CHECK

Honey bottle

Bones CHECK

Gold nuggets CHECK

Ghast tear

Magma cream

Glow stone dust

Netherwart 

He groaned. He hated going to the nether. As he was dumping the ingredients into an empty chest, he heard footsteps upstairs. He stopped, tilting his head to listen.

“Tommy?” A voice echoed from the room above him. He didn’t recognize it, but it sounded familiar. He tried to think, closing the chest in front of him, who’s voice wouldn’t he recognize?

“Who is it?” He yelled.

“Well...” The voice trailed off. He heard the footsteps make their way down the stairs, and before Tommy knew it, he was looking at Philza Minecraft. 

Philza looked down to where Tommy was sitting on the floor. “Hi.” 

Tommy just stared at him. He looked cleaner than he had three days ago. There weren’t any ashes in his hair and Wilbur’s blood no longer stained his shirt. 

Philza looked away awkwardly, glancing around the room. “I like your house.” 

“Thanks.” Tommy stood up. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to come talk to you, make sure you were doing alright. I know that it's been a long time,” Philza looked around the room, searching for words. “but i am still your dad.”

Tommy gave him an incredulous look. “Right..” Tommy stared at him for another moment before grabbing his ingredient list off the floor.

“I’m sorry Philza, it was nice of you to drop by, but I’m afraid I’m terribly busy today.” Tommy slipped past him through the doorway. “Being the Vice President of L’manburg is no easy task you know, government and shit.” He paused. “Don’t tell Techno I said that. Anyway, I’m sure I'll see you around. You understand.” 

Tommy ran the rest of the way up the stairs, stopping at his enderchest to grab some supplies for the trip.

“I would believe that, if I hadn’t just spoken to Tubbo about how you haven’t been to L’manburg at all apart from the funeral,” said Philza, who had followed him back up the stairs.

Tommy bit his lip, then turned to face him. “Ok, that might have been a lie, but I’m still working on a bit of a personal project right now so if we could have this chat later-”

“I could help you,” Philza said.

Tommy groaned inwardly, realizing this wasn’t something he was going to get out of.

“Fine.” He looked Philza up and down. “Do you have any armor?”

Phliza nodded. “Yes actually, it’s yours though.” He pulled out a pair of netherite leggings, boots and a chest plate. “I thought you might want them back.” 

Tommy took them with huff and put them on, taking off the makeshift iron materiais he had on. “Take these. We're going to the nether.” He shoved the iron at him. “Let’s go.” 

“May I ask what we are getting?” Tommy led Philza out of the house and in the direction of the community nether portal, where he gave him the list.

Philza looked down at the piece of paper. “Okay, may I ask _why_ we are getting those things?” 

“Uhhh, no.” Tommy answered. He entered the portal, not looking back to check if Philza was following. Arriving in the Nether, he immediately felt like he had stepped into an oven. The glow from the lava below in addition to the mahogany colored walls and ceiling gave the entire place an ominous, hellish look. He looked down to the lava, which bubbled and gurgled menacingly. He took up step back when the ground started to sway under him. Settling on traveling to the crimson forest to his left to look for glow stone, he set out the black stone path.

Philza caught up with him, and began to try to talk to Tommy, which he mostly tuned out. Tommy was starting to feel bad for the guy honestly, he could tell how hard he was trying to get Tommy to talk back, in a way that wasn’t more than one or two words. 

Though he had been annoyed that Philza had interrupted his scheme, and they weren’t exactly on the best of terms after not talking for years, he did have a queue of questions designed to make old people uncomfortable. If he was going to tag along, he might as well have some fun.

“Yeah, I was just talking to Niki, apparently her brothers coming sometime next week and-“

“Philza, who’s your favorite woman?” Tommy interrupted, having not been listening. 

“What?”

Tommy turned to look at him, breaking a block of netherrack between them. “I said who’s your favorite woman.”

“Well, umm, probably my wife.” 

Tommy opened his mouth in shock. “You have a wife?”

Philza nodded. “Yeah, we got married shortly after you and Wilbur-“ 

“Jesus, how old _are_ you?” Tommy said, a look of disbelief and near concern on his face that made Phil smile. 

“Not that old!” He said.

“My god you’ve practically got one foot in the grave! You’re about to die of old age!”

Philza laughed. “Tommy do not worry, I am not dying of old age anytime soon.” 

Tommy looked down, processing the information. _Phil had a wife? Had it really been that long since he and his brothers had been home?_ Tommy let out another breath of disbelief. 

“Alright Philza. How do I get a wife, I reckon it’s about time.”

Philza chuckled, clearly not surprised by the question. Amused, but not surprised. “Don’t you think you're a little young for that?”

“No, I’m ready. How?” Tommy turned away, spotting some glow stone in the distance. 

Philza trailed after him. “Well, what are teens your age doing these days? There’s certainly not any on this server, but perhaps if you went to others?” Philza looked earnest, a contrast to Tommy’s plotting of outrageous things he could say to get a rise out of Phil. Phil stopped walking, thinking.

Tommy stopped a few feet ahead of Philza. “What-“ Then he laughed, a loud genuine laugh that made his head hurt a little bit. It felt good, it was the first time in a while.

  
  


Tommy stopped at the edge of a lava pool, swiping his arm across his forehead. Even without a lava pool in sight, the Nether was barely cool enough for a person to maintain a body temperature just below boiling. Standing next to one was only about equivalent to standing in the sun, and Tommy felt ready to lose to his lunch. 

Phil came up behind Tommy, setting a hand on his shoulder. “What else do you need Tommy, it's probably not safe to be here for too long.”

Tommy pulled the list out of his backpack, looking at the scribbling markings on it. Over the last few hours, he and Phil had managed to get the magma cream, glow stone and ghast tear. 

“Netherwart. That’s the last thing.”

Phil sighed. “Looks like we're looking for a fortress.” 

Tommy nodded, taking the first step on what was surely an endless search for a fortress. Despite how his interaction with Philza had begun, he was glad he had come along. Not only was he invaluable to Tommy’s mission and had pulled his own weight (and practically Tommy’s) he was just good company. He had even learned a lot about his past and the life he had with Philza and his brothers that he had resorted to forgetting. 

Apparently, he lived with the three of them in a house in the woods somewhere. He had known that, or at least he thought he did. Looking back at the tangled web of memories in his mind often made it difficult to discern between what had happened and what was imagined. Whenever he would ask Wilbur about his childhood Wilbur would quickly change the subject, or tell Tommy he must have been remembering a dream. Eventually, Tommy had learned to discredit all of his memories as dreams, keeping them all in the category of probably didn’t happen. He had learned to become disinterested in them, and to focus on the present and only the present, no matter how impulsive it made him act. 

“So you really are my dad aren’t you?” Tommy said, carefully navigating across the marshy red terrain.

Phil chuckled. “Yup, unless your mother lied to me.”

“My mother?” Tommy tried to conceal his shock. He’d just always assumed he didn’t have a mother somehow.

Phil nodded. “Yeah, I hadn’t seen her in a few months then one day she showed up with you in her arms and asked if I wanted you. Of course I said yes, and then I never saw her again.”

For some reason, the information made Tommy sad. “Oh. Well I’m sorry I guess, you probably knew her pretty well.” 

“Don’t be. I was happy I got you.”

Tommy looked around, wanting to change the subject. “What about Wilbur and Techno? What did they think?”

Philza gazed at the floor. “Well they were young. Wilbur was only about 8 I think, and if I’m honest they didn’t like you much at first. I think they were a little jealous that there was this new baby hogging so much of my attention.

“What was… What was I like?”

Philza smiled, as if he was expecting a question like this. “As you got older, you were loud. You’d tell big long stories in your own little language and we’d all just have to nod along like we understood. You were determined too, and never forgot about anything. I hid cookies in the cabinet one day, and you wouldn’t stop climbing the counter no matter how many times you fell down or I moved you away.” Phil paused, taking a moment to survey the area for a fortress.

Tommy looked at him. “What about my brothers? Did they like me then?” 

“They adored you. When you were really just a baby the first thing Wilbur would do when he finished his chores was ask to hold you. You’d have long conversations and me and Techno used to joke that you could understand each other. When you first started talking and couldn’t pronounce any words right, he was like a little translator, it was crazy, you could say the most incomprehensible shit and Wilbur would just say ‘he said he was hungry for carrots’” 

“At least I was a small child with taste. What was it like?” Tommy asked.

“I was gone most of the time during the day. Once both Wilbur and Techno were teenagers at least, since Wilbur was definitely the more parental of the pair.”

Tommy nodded, feeling that assessment was accurate. “What did we even do all day?”

“Well, Techno liked to take care of the farm, Wilbur had his music. They spared a lot. You were a bit too young to really help effectively with anything, so I assume you spent most of your time getting in the way. That’s certainly what your brothers told me anyway.” 

Phil smiled, as if he was remembering something pleasant. “I remember one day you must’ve been bothering Wilbur and Techno while they were sparring, and somehow Wilbur ended up slicing you across the face with his sword. I came home to Techno trying to stop your crying and Wilbur hiding in his room.” Phil chuckled, “It wasn’t funny then, but it certainly is now.” 

Tommy stopped, seeing flashes of a sword and Wilbur’s shocked face. “I think I remember that.” 

“You do?” 

“Yeah, I remember that Wilbur was being an asshole and that cut fucking hurt.”

Phil laughed. “That’s almost exactly what you said then too. You might still even have the scar.” Phil touched the skin near his right eye. “It would have been about here.”

Tommy reached up the same spot on his face, and sure enough felt the small divot in his skin. 

“It is.” He’d known it was there, he just had never known how it got there. Every time he’d asked Wilbur if he knew he’d quickly brush it off or change the subject. Tommy had always thought it meant Wilbur didn’t care, but in hindsight Wilbur looked almost guilty.

“So what, was Wilbur in trouble or something?” 

“Not really, I was kind of mad at first that he’d hurt you, but when he apologized he seemed to really mean it. He felt really bad. That was kinda rare for him, I think he was kinda mean to you most of the time.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Good to see something never changed.”

Phil laughed. “Yup, you’re favorite words were ‘Wilby’s being mean.’” He said, using a sing-songy voice for the last part.

Tommy looked back to Phil. “Wilby?”

Phil nodded. “Back then, you called him Wilby because you couldn’t say Wilbur yet. Even when you could the nick name just kind of stuck. You were always trying to be like him, practically all you ever said was Wilby this and Wilby that, gosh it made him so mad. One time you took his guitar and started babbling the lyrics to one of the songs he had written.”

Tommy shook his head. “I bet he didn’t like that.” 

“Actually, you're wrong! Me and Techno were just as surprised, we were ready to stop a fight. But he wasn’t mad. I think if the two of us hadn’t been there he might’ve started crying. He spent the next hour trying to teach you how to play the song. Key word is try however, and the two of you were back to fighting in no time.” Phil stopped looking out in the distance, eyes widening. “Look Tommy, a fortress!” 

Tommy looked up, and sure enough he saw a side of the fortress poking through the fog. “Let’s just hope there’s nethwart left,” He muttered. 

As they began the trek to the fortress, Tommy was left reeling with the new information of his childhood. So much of it had been forgotten, and he was being flooded with repressed memories of this seemingly perfect life. It only led to more questions. 

The memories made his heart ache in a way he had seldom experienced. He wasn’t one for nostalgia, for wishing the future was the present. He didn’t want to miss the bright shiny childhood where he was safe and loved and _happy_. But he did, and it hurt. 

He looked at Phil who was walking to the fortress in front of him, feeling an indescribable frustration. He was starting to remember, starting to ask himself questions he had never asked before. Why did it end? When did it end? Why had Phil abandoned him here? Why had Wilbur denied him the right to even remember the joys of his past? Was it even worth it to remember? 

The triviality of his present life screamed at him in comparison to his life in that little house in the woods, and he felt a growing bitterness towards it. He was on the brink of tears when he nearly ran into Phil, who had stopped in front of one of the legs of the fortress.

“I think towering up would be the best way to get up there,” Phil said, craning his neck to see the top of the structure.

“Yeah,” Tommy replied, eyes on the Nether floor.

Phil turned to him. “You alright?” 

Tommy grabbed some netherrack from his backpack. “Yeah.” He started towering up the tower, lost in thought.

He stepped on to the nether brick, stomping his feet a few times to hear the clink noise it made. Phil hopped up next to him, immediately starting to fight a wither skeleton that Tommy had failed to notice.

“Woah, you should pay more attention. I think the entrance is over there.” Phil said, pointing to a bigger substructure in the fortress. 

Tommy nodded. He and Phil made their way to the insides of the fortress. Phil walked down the steps first, hesitantly listening for any attackers.

Just as he set his foot on the final step, another wither skeleton appeared to his left, and Phil barely jumped out of the way fast enough to avoid its effect.

“Phil, what happened all those years ago?” Tommy asked, ignoring it.

“What?” He replied, striking the skeleton with his sword. 

Tommy looked at Phil. “Why did it end? Where did that life go?”

“Tommy, I’m not sure if this is the time-“

“Why did me and Wilbur leave? Why didn't you stop us?” There was a hint of irritation in his voice, one that Phil was sure not to miss.

“It's a long and complicated story Tommy that I promise I'll tell you later _,_ I can hear more of them coming, and I don't think we can fight them all off.” Phil plunged his sword into a wither skeleton, right where it’s heart would have been. It’s bones crumbled to the ground.

“Its just weird that-“ 

“Tommy please. The netherwart farm is right over there,” He pleaded, pointing to the hallway in front of them. “Just hurry and get some.”

“Fine, fine.” Tommy said, beginning to walk down the hallway. Then he stopped. 

He whirled around to face Philza, “I’m just saying it doesn’t make very much sense, I mean why didn't you come get us? You still talked to Wilbur, you obviously knew where we were, why didn’t you come see us?”

Phil fended off another wither skeleton. “Tommy-“ 

“If you think about it you still talked to Wilbur and Techno all these years, so it seems like it was just me? You abandoned me?” 

“Later-“

“It just seems like we had it pretty good in those woods, and instead you left me here to fend for myself? To fight in wars, to lose everything I care about, to watch the few people I love die?” Tommy looked directly at Phil with newly found anger on his face. “It’s not fucking fair! I’m tired of being kept in the dark! I’m tired of being the fucking hero that’s the last to know about everything that matters!” Tommy’s voice was beginning to break, and he felt a tear fall from his eye.

Philza stared at Tommy, a heartbroken look in his eyes. “Tommy,” Philza looked up suddenly, eyes widening. “Tommy behind you!”

Too late. Tommy screamed as he felt a sword graze his back, whirling around narrowly missing the second strike. In a half a second Phliza was right next to him, slaying the skeleton with two fatal slashes. 

Phil made eye contact with Tommy. “Are you ok?”

“I think I have the wither effect, I can’t feel any pain,” Tommy panickedly reached for the wound on his back. His face had gone starch white, and his hands shook with fear. “Is it bad? Am I going to die?”

Phil spun him around to look at it. The wound which was more of a scrape wasn't really bleeding aside from the black wither poison leaking out of it. “It's not that bad, you should be ok, just avoid getting hurt until it goes away.” He took out some netherrack, making a little box around Tommy. “I’m going to go get the netherwart, stay right here.” 

He looked at Tommy again, his eyes full of assurance. “You’re going to be ok alright? I promise I won’t let you die.” When Tommy nodded he quickly ran towards the netherwart.

Tommy took deep breaths, desperately wishing to feel the pain of the poison that was surely coursing through his veins. Of all the effects he could have the wither effect was one of the scarier ones, due to the way it blinded you from your ailments. It gave one the false confidence that they were alright, and under that veil of deception they would fall over dead from a wound they never felt. 

Once Phil was back he broke the temporary netherrack prison. Tommy checked for the wither effect by pinching himself, and once they confirmed it hurt they hastily and silently made their way out of the fortress. 

Once on the ground again, Philza sighed. “You were right Tommy, you don't deserve to be lied to.” He looked incredibly tired. “There’s something different about these lands, the entire Dream smp. Dream has some sort of control over it. Just think about it, have you ever been able to leave since you got here? Has anyone ever left after they came here? I begged Dream to let me in to see you two. I did everything I could. When I said goodbye to Techno the day he came here to help you two, I thought I was saying goodbye for good.” He sighed again, looking defeated. “When I finally was able to get here, it was too late. One day, you and Wilbur got lost in the woods.” He looked away, resolve crumbling. “I lost my kids that day.”

“Oh.” Tommy swallowed. “I’m… sorry.” Phil just shook his head sadly.

“Why did you guys never tell me?”

“Eventually, me and Wilbur decided it would be better if you didn't hear about it. We saw you start to prosper here, you made friends, you made a life for yourself, you forgot about it all. It felt cruel to remind you.” He sounded regretful. Tommy thought about Tubbo, his discs and L’manburg. He wouldn’t trade them, not for the happiest childhood on the planet. 

“It was a tragedy, Tommy. Nobody's fault. Just a terribly unfortunate end to a terribly good thing.” They had made it back to the portal. Philza put his hand on Tommy’s shoulder, as if he were debating whether or not to hug Tommy.

He removed his hand and took a step back, giving Tommy one last tearful look. He handed Tommy the netharwart. Then he walked through the portal.

Tommy looked around the empty Nether, who’s silence seemed louder than it had before. 

Tommy was tired of being left behind. He refused to be the hero left confronted by the harsh realities of his world. He refused to let that be his reality.

He ran through the portal, emerging to see Philza walking down the steps back to the path, head hung low. 

Tommy ran in front of him, which made Philza look up in surprise.

It was about time Tommy had a say in his own goddamn narrative.

Tommy wrapped his arms around Phil, and Phil hugged him right back.

He was going to get his family back, whether this world liked it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I wasn't too sure about this chapter at first with all the dialogue, but I hope it turned out good! I hope you liked this chapter, and please if you want leave a comment they make me really happy!

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest I’m not that proud of this one, but I do have kind of a story planned out so I might actually continue something for once. I don’t know though, let me know what you think in the comments!


End file.
